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Sat Feb 02, 2008 11:57 am  |
I ordered about half of the brush collection that Lumiere was doing on a pre-buy deal last fall. Most of them were a holiday gift for my daughter, but I kept a couple for myself, including the duo fiberoptic skunk brush labelled as a powder brush. That brush is a good bit smaller than the MAC 187, but I kept it thinking it would be good for highlighter. It's fine for that purpose, though I actually prefer the Lumiere baby buki for that purpose, especially on the browbone.
What the powder brush does superbly, though, is apply cream blush. I use it with Kevyn Aucoin and Julie Hewett cream blushes by swirling the white brush tips over the blush and then applying it in circular motions over my face. You can get any effect from unimaginably subtle to dramatic, and it makes it particularly easy to blend two colors of blush. The price on pre-buy was 10 dollars; now it's 20. Still a deal.
The larger of the Lumiere skunk brushes is a true competitor to the MAC 187. How do they compare? The MAC brush handle is about an inch longer and the head is very slightly denser. Both work extremely well for stippling on liquid foundation, but the MAC brush sheds. A lot--big ugly black hairs, tiny little pieces of black hair. At least you can see them and pick them off, but still... (I returned my original one, but the replacement sheds, too.)
Neither Lumiere brush has shed at all. The larger one, however, did have two of the black hairs that extended too far up the head--I trimmed them myself.
Bottom line--both large head brushes work well as foundation brushes, MAC wins on the density front, but only slightly, Lumiere wins on the shedding front by a landslide, and Lumiere wins on price--$22 versus $45. |
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Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:42 pm |
I bought this brush on their last prebuy in December ($15), and I have to say that I absolutely loooove this brush. I have two mac travel 187, and I think that the lumiere is really just as good or even better.
I do like my travel Mac's, so I will not stock up on the lumiere yet (with the flirt skunk brush, that makes 4), but if I did not have the other ones, I would certainly stock up on them.
I adore their pearlfecting powder as well...lovely product. |
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Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:59 am |
| I also purchased the Lumiere powder brush (among others) during the pre-buy. Totally agree with you. Quality brushes at a great price. I would definitely purchase again. |
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Blonde hair, fair skin normal to dry with oily T-zone, Clarisonic, IFP bha/aha combo, Vivier Kine-C, Lips2kiss system, JB ADCE |
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Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:15 pm |
| The Lumiere powder brush is great, I bought one last weekend. Makes a huge difference with the application of the makeup |
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Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:45 am |
Got a MAC 187 (short-handled) and Lumiere Skunk Brush and Lumiere wins for me too.
Price: Definitely lumiere
Quality: Lumiere since it doesn't shed and it doesn't bleed when washed. My MAC still does, even after a year+ of use.
Shape: MAC is wider and denser then the Lumiere. The latter is maybe a cross between the 187 and 188. It works just as well as the 187.
Also, I love the angle skunk brush by Lumiere. A must if you tend to be heavy handed in applying contour powder. |
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Mid-20s Asian female (since I am not mature enough to be called a woman  ). Skin is combination with tendency to dryness around the cheeks and prone to blemishes. Naturally coarse black hair  . Lastly but most importantly, you need something purchased in Australia I will be happy to CP  :. |
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Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:26 am |
| coastalscents has one for $7-8.00. This site will not allow a link from me buy just add dot com to coastalscents. I also bought one from EBS for $5.99 for travel as it is small. Love it. I also have a MAC which I just love but it is rather large. |
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Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:47 am |
I'm so glad to hear about these comparisons! I've been eyeing the MAC 187 brush but $42 for one brush? Yikes! I have a skunk brush I got over a year ago from Everday Minerals [they no longer carry it] and I use it for everything - I want another one as a backup. I'll have to check into the Lumiere brush.
Caution: many, many fake MAC brushes are sold on ebay. I've had great fortune with all of my skincare, perfume and other ebay purchases but I'd never buy MAC brushes from there, too many counterfeits and you won't know it's a counterfeit until you receive it. Judging by all the great feedback from the obvious fakes sold by ebay, a lot of buyers don't even know they're buying blatant fake MAC brushes.... |
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44 – combo/oily skin with a tendency towards clogged pores. Thanks to EDS, tweaked my skincare routine and normalized skin… no more breakouts. PSF, silk powder, Janson Beckett, Cellbone, NIA24 are staples. |
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Caspers Mum
Moderator
 
Joined: 02 Nov 2002
Posts: 1694
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Thu Feb 07, 2008 1:59 pm |
| flitcraft wrote: |
| the MAC brush sheds. A lot--big ugly black hairs, tiny little pieces of black hair. At least you can see them and pick them off, but still... (I returned my original one, but the replacement sheds, too.) |
No big surprise there! I've this many times before, and will say it again: M.A.C. is not what it used to be, and is far from the professional line that it once was. Everything from their products right on through to their tools have gone down-hill since the Lauder buy-out. Cheaper ingredients/items, with higher price points.
Several years ago, I worked for Lauder. During that time, they launched a line of "professional" brushes, charging a pretty penny for them. As employees, we we given a powder brush and concealer brush each for our own use.
The powder brush: shed black hair everywhere (and still does), and every time I wash the bristles, black DYE runs all over the place! This was not exclusive to my brush; I did not receive a dud. Even the ones at the counter, which they expected myself (as a professional make-up artist) to use, left hair EVERYWHERE.
I remember their regional "executive educator" dropping by the counter one day, unannounced. About five weeks prior, she'd been raving about the new, "fabulous, elegant brushes". Upon her visit to the counter, I showed her just how "wonderful" the powder brush actually wasn't, and what an embarrassment it was, forced to use such a piece of garbage. She taken aback by my forthright honesty (daring to criticize E.L.), but based on the look on her face, she knew that I was right.
"Hi, everyone. Drop-by the Estée Lauder counter, so that you too can wear dyed-black, cheap goat hair all over your face! A bargain at only $45!" 
The concealer brush: nylon. The bristles fell out of it too.
Crap. Apparently, they have another "new, fabulous" brush collection, but it's likely of the same calibre which you've described your M.A.C. brush.
I am very, very fortunate to own many original, OLD-SCHOOL M.A.C. brushes. Some of my brushes are 14 years-old, have been used professionally & personally, exposed to trichlorethane cleansers ... you name it. Still in great shape.
M.A.C. brushes now: over-priced, over-rated, and one is better off buying PAINT BRUSHES from an art supply store!
http://www.make-upboard.com/showthread.php?t=1741
http://www.make-upboard.com/showthread.php?t=1726 |
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Former m/up artist, former fan of OLD-school, pre-Lauder M.A.C Anti-M.A.C ! |
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Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:00 am |
| What brand do you suggest as a Pro? Laura Mercier? I have one but black dye comes out and hair. The rest of my brushes are MAC except for a couple of smashbox ones. |
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47, former sunworshipper, skincare addict, oily T-zone, fair skinned, love Vita A, some hyperpigmentation, microneedler. |
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Caspers Mum
Moderator
Joined: 02 Nov 2002
Posts: 1694
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Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:37 pm |
| bugaboo wrote: |
| What brand do you suggest as a Pro? Laura Mercier? I have one but black dye comes out and hair. The rest of my brushes are MAC except for a couple of smashbox ones. |
 No surprise that the dye runs and the bristles are falling out of the ferrell: Mercier is also owned by Lauder.
It's been a long time since I've bought brushes, and therefore, very difficult for me to recommend "best" on the market right now. One can never go wrong when buying Shu Uemera brushes, but those are very expensive.
http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/Products/subcategory.aspx?CategoryID=320#
Also to consider: Trish McEvoy, Make-Up Forever, Kevyn Aucoin, or Jane Iredale. Shoppers Drugmart (Canada) offers their Quo make-up line, and the brushes in that collection are of good quality for their price point. |
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Former m/up artist, former fan of OLD-school, pre-Lauder M.A.C Anti-M.A.C ! |
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Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:15 pm |
| Caspers Mum wrote: |
shape.
M.A.C. brushes now: over-priced, over-rated, and one is better off buying PAINT BRUSHES from an art supply store!
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LOL Casper, you make me laugh - I saw a video on YouTube by this guy [he's a Makeup Artist who loves MAC] actually compare MAC brushes to artists brushes and he reported some very comparable results for beauty addicts on a budget! I actually use one of my tiny watercolor brushes [100% kolinsky sable] as an eyeliner brush. It works great for applying a fine line; only problem is that the handle's too long, but this brush is so lovely there's not a chance in hell I'll chomp off the handle to make it shorter! 
Since the virtue of sable is its inherent ability to hold a point, I actually don't see the necessity for a sable makeup brush except for the purpose of applying eyeliner. . Other natural hair bristles like squirrel and goat hair should do just as well for applying makeup.
Sigh, I'm still trying to decide where to buy more makeup brushes from. I don't think it'll be MAC. If I'm spending serious money on a brush, I want it to be handmade, nickle plated brass ferrules, double crimping, hardwood handles, the works! |
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44 – combo/oily skin with a tendency towards clogged pores. Thanks to EDS, tweaked my skincare routine and normalized skin… no more breakouts. PSF, silk powder, Janson Beckett, Cellbone, NIA24 are staples. |
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Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:31 pm |
| Has anyone compared the Stippling brush from Sephora to MAC 187? It's still kind of expensive but at least not SOOOO.... |
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44 – combo/oily skin with a tendency towards clogged pores. Thanks to EDS, tweaked my skincare routine and normalized skin… no more breakouts. PSF, silk powder, Janson Beckett, Cellbone, NIA24 are staples. |
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:33 am |
| I have a 187 and now I am considering if I should have one more. It is just amazing, can be used as foundation brush, blush brush(especially for Nars's). |
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Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:53 am |
Glad to see this thread has been revived..... After the skunk brush I bought from Everyday Minerals 3 years ago started shedding like crazy, I was on the hunt for another. Since a MAC brush #136 I purchased on makeupalley 1 year ago started shedding, I wasn't too keen on purchasing any more MAC brushes.
Here's a fantastic deal on the skunk brushes..
http://www.theconservatorie.com/products/Synthetic_Dual_Length_Powder_Stippler_Brush-380-92.html
I purchased one and will likely purchase a couple more for backup. Have had this brush for 6 months now..... no shedding, and at only $6.95 for one brush, I can afford to go back and pick up a few spares. |
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44 – combo/oily skin with a tendency towards clogged pores. Thanks to EDS, tweaked my skincare routine and normalized skin… no more breakouts. PSF, silk powder, Janson Beckett, Cellbone, NIA24 are staples. |
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Wed Apr 01, 2009 5:36 am |
| I have a MAC 187,which is very suitable for NARS blush ,because 187 can let NARS blush on face uniformity. |
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Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:42 pm |
Update: I just received the brushes I ordered this past winter on pre-buy form Lumiere. I only bought two kinds of brushes this time--the duo fiber optic "skunk brush" and a dual ended eye brush, with heads on both ends.
The duo fiber brush is every bit as good as my trusty older one. And it was an incredible steal on pre-buy--$8.29! I got three of them, one that I will dedicate to powder blush, and two for my daughter. I had to trim a couple of errant white hairs, but it's hard to complain when the brush is so good. No bleeding on first washing, and no shedding. I doubt I'll have any reason to resort to my sheddy old MAC 187 anymore now that I have an extra Lumiere brush.
The dual ended eyebrush is okay but I'm not overwhelmed. One end is a fluffy end trimmed flat which works fine for depositing eyeshadow on the lid but is nothing special. The other end is a firmish angled brush. Maybe it'd work for crease work, though with my eyelids the creases tend to stay creased shut these days.  It's not firm enough for brow work in my opinion. And the brush isn't thin or firm enough for tightlining. This one goes straight to dear daughter, since I can't see that it would replace any brush I currently have. It set me back a whopping $4.26.
All four brushes together, with shipping, handling and insurance, cost me about five dollars less than a single MAC 187 retails for! |
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Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:12 pm |
flitcraft --- although I've never sprung for the MAC 187, I do have the MAC 136 - the big fluffy foundation brush... I bought it used, have washed it carefully and the brushtop fell off the handle.
All in all, the $$ for MAC brushes aren't justified.
I've had great success with lesser priced duo-fiber brushes from other companies and pay less than $10USD.
No reason to plunk down over $40 for a MAC or the Sephora Platinum stippling brush. I'd rather save my $$ on the brush and put it towards skincare and clothing, especially in these challenging economic times  |
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44 – combo/oily skin with a tendency towards clogged pores. Thanks to EDS, tweaked my skincare routine and normalized skin… no more breakouts. PSF, silk powder, Janson Beckett, Cellbone, NIA24 are staples. |
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Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:38 pm |
| I agree, the Quo brushes are good quality for the money. I have quite a few and they have lasted me for a good few years now. I do wash them, just not as much as I should. My other fav brushes are from Stila. I just purchased a couple of Smashbox brushes today--first time with this line--to replace some Aveda ones I've had for about 18 years. I can't quite believe it--they are just reaching the end of their life span now! |
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Fri Apr 17, 2009 12:01 pm |
| Does Quo have a skunk brush? I haven't been near a SDM for a while. |
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Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:59 pm |
| I bought this brush too but have not yet used it. I have several other Lumiere brushes and have always been happy with them. |
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Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:03 am |
| The lumiere prebuy duo fiber brushes are fantastic just received them some days back! It is definitely like the mac 187, ultra soft and just the right length. Love it. It is wayyyyyyyyy better than everydayminerals skunk brush. |
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Sun Apr 26, 2009 8:52 am |
| I agree that the Lumiere brush is a lot better than the EDM brush. That one is not as dense and shed on me almost as badly as the aggravating MAC 187. My new Lumiere brush has shed three or four hairs (in about two week's worth of usage), which is three or four more than its earlier incarnation. Still, my MACS would shed more than that number every single time I used it as a stippling brush! (I have retired the MACs to blush duty for pigmented powder blushes--since they are used as vigourously for that, they don't shed as much. But since I mainly wear cream blush these days, they don't get out much anymore. |
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Sun Apr 26, 2009 6:37 pm |
| I'm reading good things about Sonia Kashuk's unicorn (skunk) brush - available at Target for $12. Anyone tried it? |
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✪ My go-to products: MyFawnie.BigCartel.com ✪ |
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Mon Apr 27, 2009 1:13 pm |
| No, fawnie, never tried it. Though not for want of looking for it. I tried several local Target stores to no avail. I believe it does exist, and I've heard that it's good, but have never seen one in captivity. Now that I was able to stock up on the Lumiere, I've given up on tracking it down. But, if you ever find it, I know we'd all love a review... |
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:58 am |
| Shu Uemera brushes are really good. I have to say most of the japanese brands have decent brushes. They usually use natural animal hair to make brushes though, it may make some people feel uncomfortable. But they are so soft and handy. After I tried the japanese brushes out, I immediately gave all of my MACs away... |
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